Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 544

Winter days are short, especially in this region, where the sun sets quickly, making it feel like the day ends shortly after noon. The sun, which began its descent around lunchtime, swallowed the afternoon like a wave, swiftly ushering in the night. By the time I trudged back, the surroundings were already dim.

“El, over here!”

Even in the dim light, Sibelius spotted me and waved. He was already sitting on the steps of the shopping street, probably having finished his errands. As I hurried over, he stood, brushing himself off, and smiled. His face was flushed red from the cold, visible in his frosty breath.

“Sorry I’m late, Sibelius. Did you wait long? You should have gone inside somewhere; it’s freezing out here.”

“It’s okay. Did you find what you lost?”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you.”

“That’s good. But what’s wrong?”

“Huh? Why?”

“You look tense. You seem upset.”

Oops, my troubled feelings must be written all over my face. I quickly massaged my facial muscles, and Sibelius’s gaze softened as he watched.

“Did someone say something to you? Who was it?”

“Haha, no. No one said anything.”

…They did.

“Well, it wouldn’t be you if you didn’t cause some kind of trouble.”

That sighing remark stabbed my heart relentlessly, even now. I wish I could just brush it off as an accident and laugh it off.

“El?”

“…It’s really nothing.”

I forced a smile at his worried expression. I couldn’t confide in him about my current concerns, and I didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry. But it was hard to control my emotions after meeting Ellyuen outside the village.

“You’re late.”

Ellyuen, who had been waiting at our meeting spot, rose from the rock as he saw us approaching. His dark blue hair, reflecting the darkening sky, cascaded down his shoulders. The sight, now so familiar it was almost taken for granted, made my heart sink anew. He must have noticed my condition too, as he frowned.

“Why are you making such a stupid face again?”

Sibelius, catching his gaze, shrugged with a troubled expression. Ellyuen stared at his gesture of not knowing with a displeased look before turning back to me. Facing his clueless expression made my stomach churn.

“Father!”

Overcome with sorrow, I hugged him tightly around the waist. His arm flinched, reflexively trying to push me away, but then stopped. I felt his hesitant hand lightly touch my shoulder.

“What are you doing? Let go.”

Though his words were as cold as ever, I ignored them and held him even tighter. Ellyuen didn’t push me away in the end. I felt more sorrowful as I felt reassured.

What should I do, Father? I can’t go back anymore.

No matter how I look at it, I’m not a lucky person. Or rather, I am lucky, but I ruin it myself. Either way, the result is the same, so what’s the difference? Anyway, that supposed luck was probably due to the blessing Ifrit gave me. But now even that seems to have completely worn off. He said it would last about three years, so the timing is right. But still!

“Is this even possible?”

How can there be a problem with the return spell of all things!

No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, my insides were boiling. I had never imagined such a thing could happen. I could confidently say that I had faced many crises so far, but I had never encountered a problem that made the back of my neck tingle like this. Honestly, it felt a bit unfair. In the first place, Spirit Kings are born with luck. So why is this happening to me! This is too much! Why can’t anything go smoothly for me! Was I born with bad luck!

“Um, El. Are you okay?”

While I was huffing and puffing, I heard a faint voice. I looked up and saw Sibelius clinging to the door, mumbling. “Are you okay?” he asked, his gaze darting nervously to my hand. I followed his gaze and flinched. Crushed garlic was oozing out from my clenched fist. Oh, right, I was peeling garlic.

“Oh, um, why did this happen?”

As I tried to laugh it off, Sibelius’s expression crumbled even more. Today, we couldn’t go hunting because it was snowing too much. I was bored and had too many thoughts, so I asked Sibelius for some chores to clear my head. He was already reluctant, and now he must be shocked to see me crushing garlic when he came to check if I was doing okay.

“Maybe I gave you too much garlic? You don’t have to do it if it’s too hard, El. I don’t want to make you suffer at all…”

“Ah, no! It’s not because of the garlic. It’s not hard at all. I just spaced out for a moment.”

“Really? You’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not. I volunteered to do it in the first place. Why would I be mad at you?”

“You guys are having fun.”

As I was trying to soothe the deflated Sibelius, I heard a sneering voice. At other times, I might have thought I was hearing things again, but now I knew who it was.

‘How fun. I’m already upset; don’t pick a fight with me.’

After sending Sibelius inside, I focused my consciousness. I had changed my method of communication because there was a high risk of getting caught if I spoke directly. It was a bit cumbersome to match the wavelengths and required a lot of concentration, but it was better than looking like I was talking to myself.

“How long are you going to dwell on what’s already happened? Stop agonizing and just shake it off.”

‘Easier said than done. Aren’t you worried? I might not be able to go back.’

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Lapis replied with a laughing voice.

‘You wouldn’t say that?’

“The way for me to return is simple. You just need to take me to a suitable temple and report it. Then the Divine Realm will take care of it.”

‘…Oh, right?’

Come to think of it, that’s right. Lapis, being the Soul Stone, just needs to be taken to a temple. Then the Divine Realm will recover it and find its original place. Since space and time are intertwined, the process will be very complicated and take a long time, but it was clear that it would eventually return to its place. Wait a minute. Does that mean…

‘Am I the only one who’s screwed?’

“Strictly speaking, the future Arc-Ado is screwed too.”

Lapis couldn’t distinguish when to chime in and when not to.

‘You really…’

“Why, it’s the truth. You left only the body behind, right? How long can you last with just the shell of a Spirit King? How long has it been since the 10-year drought ended, and now you’re heading down the path of destruction again. Tsk, tsk, what a hardship because of one wrong Water Spirit King?”

‘…Should I test if Soul Stones can be broken too? Let’s all perish together?’

“Okay, okay. Such a temper.”

I calmed the rising blood pressure at the retreating voice. What’s so pretty about this that you bothered to come all the way here? Past is beautified; I had forgotten how much this guy makes people angry, buried in longing.

“What about the Demon God?”

‘Still no answer.’

I sighed, thinking of another being who never fails to stir up trouble. The first thing I tried when I realized I couldn’t go back was to call Kanos. It was still difficult to say for sure whether he had intended this situation. Still, if it was him who supplemented the spell, he would also know how to fix the side effects. But no matter how much I called, there was no response. He still doesn’t want to see me. In this state, it was obvious that there would be no gain even if I went to the Demon God’s Temple.

Should I just reveal my identity and undo the spell? As I became frustrated, my thoughts naturally flowed to extremes. If the spell is undone, I will also become Laphenia. If I explain the situation in advance and have Ellyuen or Sibelius take me to the temple, wouldn’t that be an alternative if a way to return is not prepared? But Lapis thought differently.

“That’s a bit dangerous.”

‘Why?’

“Think about it. Neither modern Trowell nor Ellyuen remember you in this era, right? Then the moment the spell is undone, their memories of you might disappear.”

“…!”

“What if your soul is thrown far away when the spell is undone? Laphenia can’t move or communicate with beings from other worlds. You’ll disappear as soon as you become Laphenia. Then it will be difficult to be discovered right away. Even if someone finds you, what are the chances that they will willingly report it to the temple?”

Almost none. Rather, if I was found by a dragon like Lamias, I might be eternally preserved as a collectible. Thinking that far made me sweat. Looking again, it was a really dangerous method.

‘Lapis, how about you go back first and let them know my situation?’

“How will the return procedure go? Do you trust the underworld guys? Look at how they handled losing the Spirit King’s soul. By the time I return, you’ll already be old and dead here?”

No, then this won’t work, and that won’t work. What am I supposed to do?

“El, it’s almost dinner time. Is there anything you want to eat?”

Just in time, Sibelius opened the door again, and the conversation stopped for a moment. My heart was pounding as I tried to react naturally as if nothing had happened.

“Ah, is it that time already? How about the smoked salmon I bought a while ago?”

“Wow, that’s a great idea. Then we should have smoked salmon for dinner tonight. I’ll bake it in the oven with green tree berries. It’ll be delicious with cheese.”

“I’m already looking forward to it.”

“It’ll be ready soon, so finish up and come in.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Sibelius turned around, humming, excited about cooking. I watched him with a smile and sighed as soon as the door was completely closed. The feeling that had been briefly lifted by the thought of food quickly subsided again. It was even more so because of Lapis’s voice, who didn’t distinguish when to chime in.

“I hate that guy.”

‘Isn’t it faster to count the ones you like? And Sibelius probably hates you too.’

“Anyway, I hate him. Why are you hanging out with that guy even here?”

‘Because he’s my friend.’

“Friend? Frieend? Then would you go looking for that guy even if he died and disappeared?”

‘Lapis.’

“Why.”

‘If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll bury you.’

It seemed like he understood, as he immediately became quiet. As a result, it was a judgment that didn’t even take a second.

“Hey, are you angry?”

‘I’m not!’

Damn it, this brazen lizard won’t be intimidated! Yeah, it’s good for you to be comfortable! You have a way to go back, right? The garlic that had just been peeled was crushed again in my hand. A low sound chuckled.

“You’re definitely angry, what. Stop racking your brain so much. You’re getting more sensitive because you keep using something you don’t usually use. It’ll just break if you force something that’s not even there.”

‘…Tell me honestly. Do you want me to die of frustration?’

“First, meet Lantasha.”

‘Lantasha?’

Why is Lantasha suddenly coming out here? I frowned, flustered by the sudden change of topic, and then belatedly remembered.

‘But why do you call your own mother like she’s someone else?’

“Ah, never mind. Before Lantasha made a pact with Diagon, she used to enjoy doing useless research and collecting rare items. Among them, there must have been a divine artifact made by Heiten.”

Research and collection. A hobby that reminds me of someone I know. Isn’t the power of genes too strong? More than that, who was Heiten?

‘Are you talking about the god who governs dimensional travel?’

“That’s right, to be exact, he’s the god who manages all dimensional travel routes and connections. Because the connection also includes relationships, he is also called the god of relationships.”

That was the first time I heard that. When I heard that he managed dimensional travel, I just thought so, but calling him the god of relationships makes him feel more amazing than I thought. That’s probably why Ifrit readily entrusted the future of Fire Buster to him. He must have wanted him to meet a good relationship. He was connected to Davian, so the first relationship was definitely good. Although I didn’t get a welcome result.

Anyway, back to the main point, the name of the divine artifact made by Heiten was the Mirror of Connection. It was said that if you looked into the mirror, it would reflect the being with whom you had the strongest connection. So it was also famous as a mirror that finds your destined partner.

“One interesting thing is that there was a hidden additional function in that mirror.”

“Additional function?”

“It was said that if you reflect the god’s symbol in the mirror, you can summon that god.”

“…!”

Summoning.

I swallowed without realizing it. You can summon a god?

‘What if the god refuses the summons?’

“Then I wouldn’t say it was fun in the first place. It’s a forced summons. Even the supreme god is no exception.”

That means I can meet Kanos if I use it. I slowly rubbed the back of my hand where the symbol was engraved. I was so nervous that my whole body was tense because it was a completely unexpected flow.

“Do you see a way now?”

‘Wa, wait! Wait a minute. You heard it; you mean you haven’t seen the divine artifact yourself?’

“That’s right. The intention of making it was good, but because of the fun effect I mentioned earlier, there was too much concern that it would be abused, so they later recovered and destroyed it.”

‘Destroyed it? When was that?’

“It was when Lantasha conceived Metel, so it’s a bit later than this point in time. If it’s now, she’ll still have it.”

The divine artifact still exists. Then can I really meet Kanos? While I was unable to speak due to the elation, Lapis’s voice continued, feeling very proud.

“Did you see? You need to know something to get results even if you rack your brain.”

‘…Yes, that’s really true.’

I was upset, but I had no choice but to admit it this time. This was a method I couldn’t have come up with no matter how hard I thought about it.

“So don’t try so hard alone.”

My mind stopped for a very brief moment. Frozen, I slowly blinked. Only after the breath that had stopped with the thought finally flowed out could I understand what I had just heard.

“Why are you carrying all the worries alone when you have two heads? You’re still inexperienced in the world.”

“…”

It’s clear that my tear glands have been malfunctioning lately. I don’t know why I feel like I’m going to cry when I hear the scolding words. If I cried like this, I would obviously become a laughing stock, so I laughed instead. A bewildered voice grumbled about why I was laughing, but I felt so good that I didn’t care.

Since coming to this world, there has been a void that cannot be filled no matter what I do. That is the relationship where I have to hide the truth. No matter how much I am with my family, make friends, and form bonds, it is difficult to shake off the lonely feeling of being dropped alone in a strange world.

But now I’m not alone. There was someone who was worrying about the same problem in the same place as me and would help me find a solution. I really found Lapis. A sense of overwhelming emotion welled up anew, making my chest tight. Apart from that, I think I need to do something about that person’s habit of teasing people.